2009 News Releases

Longwood University to host Virginia Forum

The Virginia Forum is an annual event that is hosted by universities and historical organizations around the Commonwealth.

The 2009 Virginia Forum, a two-day conference devoted to all aspects and time periods of Virginia history, will be at Longwood University on April 24-25.

The Virginia Forum brings together historians, teachers, writers, archivists, museum curators, historic site interpreters, librarians, and others engaged in the study and interpretation of Virginia history to share their knowledge, research, and experiences. Topics to be addressed during the 2009 forum include Imperial Defense, the Civil War, the American Revolution, slavery, town and gown relations, digital archives, family history, and more.

"This year several of the sessions focus on aspects of twentieth-century Virginia history, including Massive Resistance, Harry Byrd, and the school closings in Norfolk and Prince Edward County," said Larissa Smith Fergeson, associate professor of history at Longwood University and chair of the local arrangements committee. "It has been 50 years since the end of statewide Massive Resistance and the closing of the schools in Prince Edward County, and we thought Farmville would be the perfect place to hold the Forum this year. Conference attendees, many of whom have never been to Farmville before, will have the opportunity to hear from scholars and veterans of this period in Virginia history."

Now in its fourth year, the Virginia Forum is an annual event that is hosted by universities and historical organizations around the Commonwealth. Past host institutions include University of Mary Washington, Shenandoah University, and The Library of Virginia.

The program committee for the 2009 Virginia Forum includes Edward Bond, co-chair (Alabama A&M University); Brent Tarter, co-chair (The Library of Virginia); David Coles (Longwood University); Cynthia Kierner (George Mason University); Deborah Lee (Independent Scholar); Sam Shepherd (Centenary College). Registration for the two-day conference is $50. A reduced conference rate of $40 is available for currently enrolled graduate students and $30 for currently enrolled undergraduates. The registration fee includes a box lunch each day of the conference. An optional dinner banquet with cash bar reception at Longwood University is being held on Friday, April 24 for $22. The deadline for registration is Wednesday, April 15. Complete registration information and the full conference program can be viewed at www.virginiaforum.org.